The homestand was starting to feel like a road trip. Roxivus was going the way of Pet Rock- sivus. Juan Nicasio was choosing the wrong game and the wrong time to have a relapse.

Then, Dexter Fowler belted a fourth-inning triple, awakening a paid crowd of 45,616 and a slumbering offense in the Rockies' 9-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on Saturday night.

"I know what kind of offense we have," Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez said. "I expect us to do damage. ... With Dex back, and we are all in the lineup, we are a different team."

It felt less like a win and more like a dramatic sigh of relief (or maybe that was just the 35-mph wind that whipped hot dog wrappers around the ballpark and coated players in dust for a few innings).

For the Rockies to go on a run — something, frankly, they have been seeking since their 13-4 rocket launch in April — they have to score runs. Fowler's swing had a little lift and provided a much-needed lift for a lineup that ranked last in nearly every meaningful category this month.

With the Rockies trailing 1-0, Fowler dug in against Carlos Villanueva. He worked the count full, building drama. Villanueva tried to sneak an 86-mph slider past the center fielder. But left-handers have a swing path that often agrees with pitches down in the zone. Fowler dug it out, swatting the ball into the right-field corner.

From that moment, the Colorado offense seemed dangerous again. The Rockies scored seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings. To put that in perspective, the Rockies had scored only 37 runs in their previous 14 games.

"We know this offense is going to get going again. You think back to April, and what it was like," said Rockies closer Rex Brothers. "You know they can do it again."

For one night, the past was present — fittingly on a night when history cloaked the ballpark. Kevin Ritz, who started the first game at Coors Field in 1995, threw the ceremonial first pitch to Ben Petrick, flanked by former Rockies Andres Galarraga, Terry Shumpert, Josh Fogg and Mike Lansing, among others.